Cereals and millets · IFCT 2017
Samai (little millet): nutrition per 100 g
Per 100 g, little millet gives 346 kcal, 10.1 g protein, 7.7 g dietary fibre and 3.9 g fat, according to IFCT 2017. It is a good rice substitute with more fibre and protein than milled rice, but its iron, 1.26 mg per 100 g, ranks only 13th of 14 cereals and millets, far below the figures many millet charts still quote.
About samai (little millet)
Samai, or little millet, is one of the small millets grown by farmers in the hills and dry uplands of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. The grain is tiny and pale, and once hulled it looks like a miniature version of broken rice. IFCT 2017 records it as samai in Tamil, sama in Telugu, Kannada and Bengali, chama in Malayalam, sava in Marathi, suan in Odia and kuri in Gujarati.
In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka it is cooked exactly like rice and eaten with sambar, rasam or curd, or made into samai pongal, upma, kichadi and a soft dosa batter. Tribal households in Odisha and central India cook it as a plain porridge or a rice-like staple. Names overlap here: in north India, sama or samak often means barnyard millet, a different grain eaten on fasting days, so check the botanical name on the pack if it matters to you.
Little millet cooks quickly, does not need long soaking, and its mild taste makes it one of the easiest millets for a rice-eating family to start with. It is also a crop that matters beyond the plate: it grows on poor, sloping soils with little rain, and state millet programmes, such as Odisha's millet mission, now promote it alongside ragi among tribal farming families.
What samai (little millet) brings to a meal
- 01
More protein than rice
Samai has 10.1 g protein per 100 g, 7th of 14 cereals and millets. That is noticeably more than milled rice and covers about 19 per cent of a man's daily requirement and 22 per cent of a woman's.
- 02
Fibre for a rice swap
At 7.7 g dietary fibre per 100 g, samai ranks 56th of 256 foods. Swapping it for white rice in a pongal or curd rice adds bulk without changing the dish much.
- 03
A good selenium figure
IFCT 2017 lists 40.4 micrograms of selenium per 100 g of samai, a high value for a grain. Selenium helps the body's own antioxidant enzymes work.
- 04
Iron is modest
Iron is 1.26 mg per 100 g, 13th of 14 grains, about 7 per cent of a man's daily requirement. Older Indian tables listed far more, so do not count on samai as an iron source.
Samai (little millet) nutrition facts per 100 g
Every value IFCT 2017 reports for the edible portion, with the share of an adult's daily need that 100 g covers where ICMR-NIN sets a requirement.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Adult man | Adult woman |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy and macronutrients | |||
| Energy | 346 kcal | 16% | 21% |
| Protein | 10.1 g | 19% | 22% |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 65.5 g | ||
| Dietary fibre | 7.7 g | ||
| Free sugars | 0.4 g | ||
| Total fat | 3.9 g | ||
| Water | 11.4 g | ||
| Fats | |||
| Saturated fat | 0.59 g | ||
| Monounsaturated fat | 0.87 g | ||
| Polyunsaturated fat | 1.28 g | ||
| Omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid) | 47 mg | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | ||
| Minerals | |||
| Calcium | 16 mg | 2% | 2% |
| Iron | 1.26 mg | 7% | 4% |
| Zinc | 1.82 mg | 11% | 14% |
| Magnesium | 91 mg | 21% | 25% |
| Phosphorus | 130 mg | ||
| Potassium | 105 mg | ||
| Sodium | 5 mg | ||
| Copper | 0.34 mg | ||
| Selenium | 40.4 µg | ||
| Vitamins | |||
| Beta-carotene | 2 µg | ||
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.26 mg | 14% | 15% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.05 mg | 2% | 2% |
| Niacin (B3) | 1.29 mg | 7% | 9% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.04 mg | 2% | 2% |
| Folate (B9) | 36 µg | 12% | 16% |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.28 mg | ||
| Vitamin K1 | 4.5 µg | ||
Values per 100 g of the edible portion. Source: Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad. Daily-need shares use the ICMR-NIN 2020 recommended dietary allowances for a 65 kg man and a 55 kg woman doing sedentary work (ICMR-NIN brief note). Nutrients IFCT did not analyse for this food are left out rather than shown as zero.
Cite this page
NNWA Nutrition and Wellness Academy. Samai (little millet): nutrition per 100 g. Data: Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. https://nnwa.in/foods/cereals-and-millets/little-millet-samai/
Where samai (little millet) sits among Indian foods
Ranked per 100 g against the other 13 cereals and millets and every food in the tables.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | In cereals and millets | Among all foods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 346 kcal | 6th of 14 | 40th of 257 |
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.26 mg | 9th of 14 | 45th of 239 |
| Dietary fibre | 7.7 g | 9th of 14 | 57th of 182 |
| Zinc | 1.82 mg | 9th of 14 | 61st of 243 |
| Magnesium | 91 mg | 10th of 14 | 61st of 242 |
How samai (little millet) is eaten
- Samai sadam: cooked like rice and served with sambar, rasam or kuzhambu.
- Samai pongal: cooked soft with moong dal, black pepper, cumin, ginger and a spoon of ghee.
- Samai curd rice: cooled cooked samai mixed with curd, tempered with mustard, curry leaves and green chilli.
- Samai upma or kichadi: the grain roasted lightly, then cooked with vegetables and a South Indian tadka.
- Dosa and idli batter: soaked samai ground with urad dal and fermented overnight.
Before you plan around it
Many millet charts still repeat a much higher iron figure for little millet from older tables. IFCT 2017 measured 1.26 mg per 100 g, near the bottom of the group, so anyone choosing millets for iron should look to bajra or rajgira instead. Samai's 3.9 g fat per 100 g means the hulled grain can go stale if stored for long; buy small packs and keep them airtight. It also carries phytate, so soaking the grain for a while before cooking and fermenting it into dosa batter both help mineral absorption.
Food composition is general information, not a diet plan. Anyone managing a medical condition should plan their diet with a doctor or a registered dietitian.
What people ask about samai (little millet)
Is little millet high in iron?
Not by IFCT 2017's measurement. It lists 1.26 mg iron per 100 g of samai, 13th of the 14 cereals and millets. Bajra and rajgira carry several times more. Samai is better valued for its fibre, protein and easy rice-like cooking.
Can samai replace rice for people with diabetes?
Samai brings 7.7 g fibre per 100 g against far less in milled rice, which slows digestion. It is still 65.5 g carbohydrate per 100 g, so portion size matters. A doctor or dietitian can help people with diabetes decide how much samai suits them.
Is samai the same as sama ke chawal?
Not always. Samai is little millet. In north Indian fasting kitchens, sama or samak ke chawal usually means barnyard millet, a related but different grain. The names overlap across regions, so the botanical name on the pack is the surest guide.
How do you cook little millet?
Rinse the grain well, soak it briefly if you have time, and cook it like rice in a pot or pressure cooker. It softens quickly. It suits pongal, upma, curd rice and dosa batter.
Related foods and tables
Varagu millet
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Ragi (finger millet)
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Bajra (pearl millet)
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Rice
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Green gram (moong)
Nutrition per 100 g, from IFCT 2017.
Little millet vs White rice
Side by side, per 100 g.
Calories (energy) content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by calories (energy) per 100 g.
Thiamine (vitamin B1) content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by thiamine (vitamin b1) per 100 g.
Dietary fibre content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by dietary fibre per 100 g.
All cereals and millets
14 foods in this group, compared.
Learn to use this data
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